Mogadishu, Sep 29 — The World Food Program (WFP) warned Tuesday of severe funding shortfalls that are drastically reducing its reach in Somalia amid a humanitarian crisis driven by drought and climate risks.
The WFP warned that current funding constraints will force it to assist fewer than 5 per cent of Somalis facing emergency hunger starting in October, down from more than four million people per month during the 2022-2023 drought response, while funding for nutrition treatment will be completely depleted by the end of September, Xinhua News Agency reported.
"Malnutrition remains alarmingly high, with nearly 2 million children projected to suffer acute malnutrition in 2026, including 433,000 children facing severe acute malnutrition and requiring urgent treatment," it said in its latest report.
According to the WFP, Somalia is entering the October-December Deyr rainy season under a high-risk climate scenario.
El Nino conditions are expected to bring above-normal rainfall across parts of central and southern Somalia, with climate signals mirroring the severe flood events of 1997 and 2023, WFP said.
It said areas along the Juba and Shabelle river basins face the highest risk, raising grave concerns over widespread displacement, loss of livelihoods, and severe disruptions to humanitarian access.
Last week, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) warned that projected El Nino rains and severe flooding could affect up to 3.4 million people in Somalia across 16 regions between October and December.
OCHA warned that the combination of flooding, displacement, and inadequate sanitation risks triggering widespread waterborne disease outbreaks, occurring just as at least 380 health facilities have closed or scaled back operations due to critical funding shortages.
"The potential flooding might match or surpass the severe 2023 and 1997 seasons -- Somalia's two worst flood benchmarks -- and arrive before communities recover from the prolonged drought this year," OCHA said on Sept. 22.
According to the WFP, one-third of Somalia's population, or 5.4 million people, is acutely food insecure, with nearly 1.5 million facing emergency-level hunger between October and December.